Common Name: Apricot
Scientific Name: Prumus Ameniaca
Synonyms: Apricock, albaricoqueros, chin hsing
Parts Used: Fruit, leaves, seed

Overview:

The apricot tree is a medium sized tree that reaches between 25-39 feet in height with a spreading canopy of about 18 feet.  The leaves are pointed at the end and rather heart shaped. Its flowers range from white to shades of pink. The tree blossoms from March to April with the fruit ripening from July to September.  The apricot closely resembles peaches and nectarines and is related to plums. The fruit is hairless with color ranging from yellow to deep orange.  Like the peach, nectarine and plum, the apricot is a stone fruit.

The apricot is native to northwest China.  It arrived in Armenia about 3,000 years ago.  About 70B.C. the Romans introduced it to Europe.  Although the apricot traveled to Virginia with the English in 1720, it was the introduction in California by the Spanish in 1792 that the apricot became well established.

The fruit of the apricot is highly nutritious but the leaves and seeds contain hydrogen cyanide in small quantities.  The seeds also contain laetrile, a controversial alternate cure for cancer.

Active Ingredients:

Plus trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin and niacin.

This size serving of apricots provides 45% of the RDA for vitamin A, 20% of vitamin C, and % each of calcium and iron.

Chemically active substances in apricots are:

• Beta carotene
• Lycopene
• Pectin

Traditional uses:

Although the apricot is a fruit:

• It is valued for its high vitamin A content makes it useful in preventing degenerative conditions of the eyes, such as macular degeneration and cataracts
• It is also valued as an overall tonic
• It is used as a mild laxative
• It is used by both the Chinese and Europeans as an aphrodisiac

Clinical uses:

• Cataract prevention. In a study of 50,000 registered nurses, those who had the highest vitamin A intake reduced the risk of cataracts by 45%.
• Helping to prevent constipation and diverticulosis.
• Relieving the symptoms of dry eye. Again the high vitamin A content helps to keep the eye lubricated.
• Lowers cholesterol and other lipids.
• Moderate high blood pressure. This is because of its high potassium level
• Beta-carotene and lycopene can help protect LDL (the good cholesterol) from being broken down by free radicals.

Recommended Dosage:

Three medium sized apricots are all that is needed to a healthy dose of Vitamins A and C, along with iron, potassium and lycopene.

Contra-indications:

None

Drug interactions

None

Web References

1. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9039/24233/197416.html?d=dmtHealthAZ#prevent
2. http://www.5aday.gov/month/apricot.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apricot
4. http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/find_lat?COM=apricot

Printed Reference Material

1. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
2. Cho E, Seddon JM, Rosner B, Willett WC, Hankinson SE. Prospective study of intake of fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and carotenoids and risk of age-related maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004 Jun;122(6):883-92., PMID: 15197064
3. Craig W. Phytochemicals: guardians of our health. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97(Suppl 2) S199-S204 1997
4. Dorai T, Cao YC, Dorai B, et al. Therapeutic potential of curcumin in human prostate cancer. III. Curcumin inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and inhibits angiogenesis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells in vivo. Prostate 2001 Jun 1;47(4):293-303, PMID: 16280
5. Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986, PMID: 15210
6. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951 Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
7. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
8. Hankinson SE, Stampfer MJ, Seddon JM, et al. Nutrient intake and cataract extraction in women: a prospective study. BMJ 1992;305(6849):335-9 1992
9. Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975, Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.
10. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6, Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
11. Jacques PF, Chylack LT. Epidemiologic evidence of a role for the antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids in cataract prevention. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:352S-5S 1991
12. Kohlmeyer L, Kark JD, Gomez-Gracia E, et al. Lycopene and myocardial infarction risk in the EUROMIC study. Am J Epidemiol 1997;146:618-26 1997
13. Olszewska M, Glowacki R, Wolbis M, Bald E. Quantitative determination of flavonoids in the flowers and leaves of Prunus spinosa L. Acta Pol Pharm 2001 May-2001 Jun 30;58(3):199-203, PMID: 16270
14. Papazian R. Sulfites: Safe for most, dangerous for some. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Consumer. Dec 1996 1996
15. Risasanen, T, Voutilainen S, Nyyssonen K et al. Low plasma lycopene concentration is associated with increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery wall. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000 Dec;20(12):2677-81 2000
16. Simmons. A. E. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5531-7, A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
17. ills RB, Scriven FM, Greenfield H. Nutrient composition of stone fruit (Prunus spp.) cultivars: apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach and plum. J Sci Food Agric 1983 Dec;34(12):1383-9, PMID: 16280
18. Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988, PMID: 15220
19. Wuthi-udomler M, Grisanapan W, Luanratana O, Caichompoo W. Antifungal activity of Curcuma longa grown

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